Creepy Crawler
by luv2write0205
Summary: If there is anything that frightens Emily more than anything, it is a spider. Who'll come to the rescue when she spots a creepy crawler while having a conference with Hotch and Strauss?


**Disclaimer**: I don't own any part of CM or the characters…

**Summary**: If there is anything that frightens Emily more than anything, it is a spider. Who'll come to the rescue when she spots a creepy crawler while having a conference with Hotch and Strauss?

**Author's Note**: In honor of "Save a Spider Day" that took place on March 14, I decided to write this March Prompt on **Whitewolf's** forum. Thanks for the prompt, Whitewolf, and I hope this story is enjoyed. It's a little late for March but I've been so busy lately!

_"Wrong life cannot be lived rightly." - __Theodor Adorno_

***~OoO~***

**Creepy Crawler**

"So what are you most scared of?" Jennifer Jareau asked her dark-haired friend who was standing by the coffee machine in the break room.

"Hmmm?" Emily murmured. "I'm sorry, what?"

JJ repeated the question and Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean" JJ answered. She twisted a piece of blonde hair between her fingers and glanced at Emily from the corner of her eye.

"I uh…well this is going to seem really stupid, but I am really afraid of spiders" Emily replied sheepishly, not meeting her friend's bright blue eyes.

JJ had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from laughing at the brunette. Emily frowned, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment written on her face.

"I'm sorry, but you catch serial killers every day and you're afraid of a spider?" JJ asked as a smile crept across her face.

"Yeah, laugh it up, but who was the one that was afraid to tell her team about her boyfriend?" Emily remarked, watching the blonde stop laughing and look her friend in the eyes.

"That wasn't funny, though" JJ responded quietly. "This, you have to admit, is pretty freaking funny"

The two women were interrupted when Hotch entered the break room.

"Prentiss, we have that meeting with Strauss in a couple of minutes" Hotch announced while Emily felt like smacking herself in the head. She had completely forgotten about that meeting.

"Okay, sorry Hotch. I completely forgot" Emily replied. "Wish me luck" she whispered to JJ, who smirked at her. She knew that Emily despised Strauss and that not even two weeks ago, Emily and Hotch had made love to each other on JJ's wedding night.

***~OoO~***

Emily followed Hotch up the stairs and to his office. He shut the door behind them and sat at his desk, folding his hands on top of it. Emily sat in the guest seat in front of his desk. Hotch always enjoyed making his subordinates nervous. It was just a source of pride for him. Especially after what had happened between them, Hotch had made an effort to make any situation awkward whenever she was around him. Apparently, mind blowing sex and going down on each other wasn't awkward enough now. Emily squirmed nervously under his stare. Just then, the door opened and in walked Erin Strauss.

"Agents" Strauss began. "It is vital that we hold this meeting to clarify the previous cases that were closed in the past 8-10 weeks".

The blonde section chief sat in the other guest chair next to Emily. She began to go on and on about the cases, their effects, impacts on the victims and their families and the unsub that was involved as well. Out of boredom, Emily tore her eyes away from the blonde drill sergeant like woman in front of her to glance at the wall. Her heart nearly stopped when she spotted a huge, hairy spider on the wall next to Hotch.

Emily's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. She barely heard the question that Strauss was asking her because of her sudden fright. She spotted Hotch staring at her, well he was more like profiling her, but she was too scared to even notice. Why she was so scared of something that was so much smaller than her, she would never know.

"Agent Prentiss, are you alright?" Strauss' voice interrupted all of Emily's thoughts about the spider.

"Uh…yeah. I'm just tired" Emily replied. Her voice quivered and she was shaking lightly. Both Hotch and Strauss could tell that something was off with the brunette. They just didn't know what it was yet.

"Prentiss, tell us the truth because it looks like you just saw a ghost" Hotch said to her. Emily looked into his almost black eyes and could see the genuineness of the man that had made love to her just two weeks ago. Of course, Strauss didn't know that this had happened between them, or so they thought.

"Uh well, there's a um… s-spider on the uh wall" Emily said almost inaudibly. One look at her bosses and Emily could tell that they found this funny. The corners of Hotch's lips were lifted in a smirk and even Strauss had something that looked like a small smile on her face.

"Agent Prentiss, is that really what is frightening you so badly? Or are you thinking about your relations with Agent Hotchner?" Strauss asked. She took pleasure in watching Hotch and Emily's faces turn paper white.

"Yes, ma'am. That spider is frightening me that badly" Emily replied. "Agent Hotchner and I aren't…"

"Don't lie to me, agents, because I know what you two did" Strauss remarked. "Not that I mind because as long as your relationship stays out of the office, I really don't. And Prentiss, would you like me to get rid of that spider for you?"

"Ma'am, I can take care of the…" Hotch began, but Strauss cut him off.

"Don't you worry, Hotchner. I can take care of this one with my eyes closed" Strauss answered. Hotch sank back in his seat while the blonde woman grabbed Hotch's jar of pens and emptied it out on his desk. Taking the jar, she placed it over the spider and once it had entered the jar, she emptied it out the window.

"All better now, agents?" Strauss said, placing the jar back on Hotch's desk. "Is everybody happy now?"

"Uh, yes ma'am. Thank you" Emily stuttered in awe. She never expected Strauss of all people to be helpful and sympathetic in any way.

"I've had children of my own" Strauss said upon seeing the looks on the agents faces. She sat back down and continued the meeting, as if nothing had ever happened.

***~OoO~***

_"Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom" -Francis Bacon_

*******~OoO~***

**Thanks again to Whitewolf once again for her prompt! **

**I just couldn't help adding a touch of H/P to this story. **

**Please review and tell me what you thought**!


End file.
